Dragon
Dragons are giant winged, fire-breathing reptiles. Widely regarded as terrifying yet awe-inspiring, they can be found all over the world and are frequently referred to in Asian and medieval European folklore. Able to fly and breath fire through their nostrils, they are one of the most dangerous and hardest to conceal creatures in the [world|wizarding world. The Ministry of Magic classifies them as XXXXX, known wizard killers that are impossible to train or domesticate. Despite how dangerous they are, there are people who are trained to work with them, called dragon keepers, or dragonologists. A wizard who trades and sells dragon eggs (which is an illegal activity) is referred to as a dragon dealer. Information *Sentience: Sentient *Eye Color: Varies by breed *Skin Color: Varies by breed *Native Range: Various locations throughout the world *Height of Average Adult: Varies by breed *Length of Average Adult: Varies by breed *Wingspan of Average Adult: Varies by breed *Ministry of Magic Classification: XXXXX *Status: Beast Early Life of a Dragon Dragon mothers breathe fire on their eggs to keep them warm. The dragon's first fire breaths, usually accompanied by thick gray smoke, appear when the dragon is around six months old. However, the ability to fly is normally developed later, at around twelve months, and the dragon will not be fully mature until it is two years old and ready to live on its own. Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit states that you are to feed a baby dragon a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. Dragons in the Wizarding World The motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is Draco dormiens numquam titillandus; Latin for Never tickle a sleeping dragon. The Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, loved and adored draogns, briefly owning a Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert, who turned out to be a female and was subsequently named Norberta. In 1993, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, suggested placing dragons to guard the school, after being compelled to remove the Dementors, something that Professor Dumbledore thought that Hagrid would be very happy with. Many useful materials come from dragons, but they are hard to obtain (see Uses below). It takes over a dozen wizards just to stun a dragon. Muggles believe that dragons are a mere myth, but have been known on occasion to glimpse these beasts. To prevent them from being seen by Muggles, and to protect them from poaching, dragons are kept on dragon reserves around the world, most of which are far from human habitation. Dragons cannot be domesticated, despite individuals trying to do so. However, it is possible to condition them via torture to make them somewhat subservient, as Gringotts Wizarding Bank had done to the one guarding the lower gaults, who has been trained to expect pain upon hearing a certain noise. The selling of dragon products is closely regulated by the Ministry of Magic, and only dragon species that are over-breeding are killed to make these items. Known Breeds There is no officially sanctioned breeding of dragons, as dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709. However, they have been known to interbreed, producing rare hybrids. Below is a list of the ten known pure-bred breeds of dragons according to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: *Antipodean Opaleye *Chinese Fireball *Common Welsh Green *Hebridean Black *Hungarian Horntail *Norwegian Ridgeback *Peruvian Vipertooth *Romanian Longhorn *Swedish Short-Snout *Ukrainian Ironbelly There are two other breeds, according to Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit. It is unknown if these are pure-bred dragons, hybrids or, as the book is out-dated, these dragons may have become extinct due to illegal dragon huntings. These are the two dragon breeds: *Catalonian Fireball *Portuguese Long-Snout Uses Dragons have many uses in the wizarding world. Obstacles Draogns were in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament of 1994, in which the champions had to retrieve a golden egg from a nesting mother. The varieties used were: the Hungarian Horntail, the Chinese Fireball, the Swedish Snort-Snout, and a Welsh Green. Ron Weasley's brother, Charlie, worked with dragons in Romania at the time, and helped transport the dragons used in the Tournament. Dragons are also used to guard certain vaults at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and one was used by Harry Potter, Ron Wealsey, and Hermione Granger to escape the bank following their break-in in 1998. Materials *'Dragon blood:' Albus Dumbledore discovered the twelve uses of dragon blood. The twelfth use is an oven cleaner. Another on is a spot remover. *'Dragon claw:' During the 1995 school year, in the midst of the O.W.L.s, a trade sprang up among the fifth and seventh year students for various supposed brain stimulants. A student named Harold Dingle was offering powdered dragon claw, though Hermione Granger confiscated it, as it turned out to be dried Doxy droppings. Ron Weasley said that dragon claw does work, and that it gives your brain a boost, making you cunning for a few hours, though it is not known if this is actually true. *'Dragon dung:' Dragon dung is sold by the barrel in Knockturn Alley. It is a rich fertilizer used by students at Hogwarts in [[Herbology. *'Dragon eggs:' Dragon eggs are a Class A Non-Tradable Material by the Ministry of Magic. Despite its ban, many dragon eggs can still be found on the black market. Chinese Fireball egg shells are highly prized as potion ingredients by Chinese witches and wizards. *'Dragon heart:' Dragon heartstring is an exceptionally powerful, and one of the most common kinds of, core used in wands. *'Dragon horn:' Powdered dragon horn is used in many potions. Romanian Longhorn horns are listed as a Class B-Tradable Material by the Ministry of Magic. *'Dragon hide:' Dragon hide is used to make clothing. Where Muggles would wear leather, wizards would wear dragon hide. The skin is very tough, impervious to some spells, and provides the same physical protection as leather, while at the same time having the same texture and appearance of snake skin. Dragon hide is used to make gloves, boots, jackets and shields. *'Dragon liver:' Dragon liver is sixteen Sickles an ounce. *'Dragon meat:' When Hagrid returned from his trip to the giants with many injuries, he put a bloody, green-tinged, dragon meat steak, slightly larger than an average car tire, on his face as it helped the stinging. It is not known if dragon meat is safe for humans to eat but seems fine for canines. Books *''Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit'' *''Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland'' *''From Egg to Inferno: a Dragon-Keeper's Guide'' *''Men who Love Dragons Too Much'' *''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' Dragon Reserves *Romanian Dragon Sanctuary: Home to several types of dragons. Charlie WEasley works and studies dragons here. *Hebrides: The MacFusty Clan cares for their dragons here. *Wales: Hidden in the higher mountains. *Sweden: Between Arjeplog and Kopparberg. The Annual broom race goes right through here. Social Behavior Not much is known about dragon behavior, however it seems that females are generally larger and dominant over males. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them states that sometimes females oust males from their territories, at least with the Antipodean Opaleye. Dragon sare generally highly aggressive towards even wizards, and will sometimes attack humans without provocation, such as in the case of the Ilfracombe Incident. Category:Dragons (species) Category:XXXXX Creatures Category:Beasts Category:Creatures affiliated with fire